Sectional boat

ABSTRACT

A sectional boat includes fore and aft boat sections releasably couplable together by a releasable coupler cooperating between the fore and aft boat section transoms. When the boat sections are assembled to form the boat, the fore and aft boat section transoms abut in opposed facing relation to one another. The releasable coupler may include at least one dovetail coupler having at least one female dovetail groove in each of the transoms and disposed so as to be aligned and opposed facing when the transoms are in their opposed facing relation. Each dovetail coupler may include at least one pair of male dovetail tenons mounted thereon in oppositely disposed relation so to engage in their corresponding opposed facing female dovetail grooves. Each tenon is sized to snugly slidably mate into a corresponding female dovetail groove in each of the transoms. Each tenon includes an upstanding lug having an aperture. A rigid member mates through the aperture so as to releasably lock each tenon in its corresponding female dovetail groove.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/230,980 filed Sep. 9, 2008 entitled Sectional Boat.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of boats having two joinable hull sections, where each section is independently floatable, and in particular to a sectional boat having an improved transom coupler.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,362 to Avidiya, it is known to form a boat from two or more independent hull sections which are fastened together at their transoms, each section being independently buoyant. See also, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,301,629 to Kleyh et al, 5,261,346 to Updyke, 4,794,876 to Levine, 4,718,587 to Roberts, 4,693,203 to Lewis, and 4,478,167 to Hart, 4,366,769 to Lingeman, all of which describe interlocking boat transoms of one form or another. Such hull sections have abutting transoms and the transoms are typically fastened together by fastening members passing through the transoms above and below the waterline.

When such boats are placed into the water, the diverse forces generated by the water acting upon the boat sections try to twist and vertically move the adjacent transoms relative to each other. Such twisting and vertical forces can cause the fastener members to jam, making it difficult to separate the sections, or cause the fastener members to fail.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In summary the sectional boat described herein may be characterized in one aspect as including fore and aft boat sections releasably couplable together by a releasable coupler cooperating between the fore and aft boat sections. The boat sections include corresponding fore and aft boat section transoms and, when the boat sections are assembled to form the boat, the fore and aft boat section transoms abut in opposed facing relation to one another.

The releasable coupler may include at least one dovetail coupler having at least one female dovetail groove in each of the transoms and disposed so as to be aligned and opposed facing when the transoms are in their opposed facing relation. Each dovetail coupler may include at least one pair of male dovetail tenons mounted thereon in oppositely disposed relation so to engage in their corresponding opposed facing female dovetail grooves. Each tenon is sized to snugly slidably mate into a corresponding female dovetail groove in each of the transoms.

Each tenon includes a substantially vertically upstanding lug mounted to and extending upwardly from an uppermost end of the tenon so as to extend above an upper edge of a corresponding transom of the fore and aft boat section transoms when the tenon is snugly mated in its corresponding female dovetail groove. Each lug includes an aperture, and the coupler further includes a rigid elongate member such as a bar, shaft, pin for mating in each aperture so as to releasably lock each tenon in its snug mating engagement in its corresponding female dovetail groove.

In one embodiment a pair of dovetail couplers cooperate between the transoms.

Each aperture may be a bore which extends entirely through the lug. The elongate member is mountable in each aperture so as to journal the elongate member through the bore in snug sliding engagement therein. Advantageously each bore is oriented laterally relative to the long axis of the boat, and along the upper edge of the corresponding transom when the tenons are snugly mated in the female dovetail grooves, such that when an elongate member is mounted through its corresponding bore in its lug, the elongate member lies substantially flush along the upper edge of the corresponding transom. This corresponds to when the dovetail block member is in a fully upwardly mated position is the dovetail grooves.

The female dovetail grooves in each transom may be a substantially parallel pair of female dovetail grooves. Each tenon has one of the lugs mounted thereon. The bores in the lugs may be substantially parallel in each dovetail block member. Advantageously each female dovetail groove widens from a narrow upper end to a wider lower end. Each corresponding tenon is correspondingly wedge shaped so as to have a narrower upper end and a wider lower end to snugly fit each tenon in each corresponding female dovetail groove. When each tenon is snugly wedged into its corresponding female dovetail groove by sliding each tenon upwardly into the female dovetail groove, each tenon is firmly wedged into its fully upwardly mated position so as to position the bore in its corresponding lug adjacent the upper edge of its corresponding transom.

Further advantageously the boat sections are substantially identically shaped so that one of the boat sections when overlaid on the other snugly fits one of the boat sections onto the other boat section for storage and off-water transportation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying figures wherein similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in each view:

FIG. 1 a is, in rear perspective view, one sectional boat half having male dovetail members mounted to the transom thereof according to one embodiment of the sectional boat according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 b is, in front perspective view, the sectional boat half of FIG. 1 a.

FIG. 1 c is, in plan view, the sectional boat half of FIG. 1 a.

FIG. 1 d is, in front elevation view, the sectional boat half of FIG. 1 a.

FIG. 1 e is, in right side elevation view, the left side elevation view being the mirror image thereof, the sectional boat half of FIG. 1 a.

FIG. 2 a is, in rear perspective view, the sectional boat half of FIG. 1 a with the male dovetail members removed to show the female dovetail grooves in the transom thereof, the opposite sectional boat being the mirror image thereof.

FIG. 2 b is, in front perspective view, the sectional boat half of FIG. 2 a.

FIG. 2 c is, in plan view, the sectional boat half of FIG. 2 a.

FIG. 2 d is, in front elevation view, the sectional boat half of FIG. 2 a.

FIG. 2 e is, in right side elevation view, the left side elevation view being the mirror image thereof, the sectional boat half of FIG. 2 a.

FIG. 3 is, in top perspective view, the assembled sectional boat according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 a is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is, in partially exploded top perspective view, the sectional boat of FIG. 3 with the sectional boat half having female dovetail grooves in its transom aligned adjacent the sectional boat half having male dovetails, so as to align the male dovetails for sliding mating into the dovetail grooves.

FIG. 5 is, in bottom perspective view, the partially exploded view of the sectional boat of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is, in laterally-outer side perspective view, the dovetail block member for mating in the dovetail slots in the transoms of the boat halves.

FIG. 7 is an elevation view of the member of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a laterally-innermost side elevation view of the member of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The sectional boat 10 of the present invention is formed of a first buoyant hull section 12 and a second buoyant hull section 112. The two hull sections are coupled together by transom couplers in the form of dovetail block members 21 better described below. Hull sections 12 and 112 are substantially identical mirror images of one another. Consequently, parts of second hull section 112 which are identical to parts of first hull section 12 will have the same reference number as the reference number for the same parts of the hull section 12. Thus, hull section 12 has a bow 14, a transom 16 and dovetail sockets 18, and hull section 112 has a bow 14, a transom 16, and dovetail sockets 18.

A pair of dovetail sockets 18 are formed in transom 16 of hull sections 12 and 112. A corresponding pair of male dovetails 20 are attached to or formed as part of, and on opposite sides of each dovetail block member 21. The dovetails 20 are mounted or formed so as to be vertically aligned and substantially parallel with each other. Dovetails 20 extend substantially the full height of their corresponding transom 16.

The boat halves are interlocked using the vertical lugs 22 that protrude upwardly from each dovetail block member 21. Each lug 22 has a corresponding aperture 22 a. A locking bar 24 or pin(s) or the like is passed through apertures 22 a in lugs 22 to secure the dovetails 20 in their corresponding mating sockets 18.

The dovetail block members are mounted so as to be sandwiches between the transoms 16 of hull section 12 and 112 when abutted together transom-to-transom to form a complete boat hull. Each mail dovetail 20 is slid upwardly into its corresponding socket 18 in its corresponding transom. Each socket 18 is slightly tapered so that the dovetail joint becomes tighter as the fully upwardly mated position is reached.

As dovetails 20 are slid upwardly into their corresponding dovetail sockets 18 so as to reach their uppermost position so that the sliding dovetails are tightly fitted, lugs 22 protrude above the corresponding upper edge 16 a of the corresponding transom 16 so that lug apertures 22 a are just clear of upper edge 16 a. With lug apertures 22 a thus clear of upper edge 16 a, locking bar or pin(s) 24 are inserted through apertures 22 a so as to lock lugs 22 into their locked position snugly above transom 16 thereby locking dovetails 20 on dovetail block members 21 tightly into sockets 18. With hull sections 12 and 112 thereby interlocked, movement between the two hull sections is prevented even when boat 10 is used in rough water.

The hull sections may have longitudinally extending parallel spaced-apart channels 26 for increased rigidity. Channels 26 form runners or strakes 26 a along the undersides of the hull sections.

Advantageously, hull sections 12 and 112 are substantially identical in plan form dimensions, and also in side elevation dimensions so that in a storage or transportation mode, one of the hull sections may be mounted atop of the other hull section. This reduces the size of boat 10 to one-half of its plan form size for example for ease of transportation when mounted atop a vehicle or trailer and also provides for secure and weather resistant storage for equipment contained within the boat when in its storage and transportation mode.

Seats 28 may be provided which are selectively positionable within the hull. Flotation, for example by foam injection (not shown) is provided within cavities within the hull. It is specifically intended that the present invention be adapted for use with boats having longer or smaller dimensions including longer or smaller length and width, as would be known to one skilled in the art.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following claims. 

1. A sectional boat comprising: fore and aft boat sections releasably couplable together by a releasable coupler cooperating between the fore and aft boat sections, wherein said boat sections include corresponding fore and aft boat section transoms and wherein when said boat sections are assembled to form said boat, said fore and aft boat section transoms abut in opposed facing relation, wherein said releasable coupler comprises at least one dovetail coupler having at least one female dovetail groove in each of said transoms and disposed so as to be aligned and opposed facing when said transoms are in said opposed facing relation, and wherein said at least one dovetail coupler includes at least one pair of male dovetail tenons mounted thereon in oppositely disposed relation so to engage in a corresponding said opposed facing female dovetail grooves, wherein each said tenon is sized to snugly slidably mate into a corresponding said female dovetail groove in each of said transoms, wherein each said tenon includes a substantially vertically upstanding lug mounted to and extending upwardly from an uppermost end of each said tenon so as to extend above an upper edge of a corresponding transom of said fore and aft boat section transoms when each said tenon is snugly mated in said corresponding female dovetail groove, wherein each said lug includes an aperture, and wherein said coupler further comprises a rigid elongate member for mating in each said aperture so as to releasably lock each said tenon in said snug mating engagement in said corresponding female dovetail groove.
 2. The boat of claim 1 wherein said at least one dovetail coupler includes at least a pair of said dovetail couplers cooperating between said transoms.
 3. The boat of claim 1 wherein each said aperture is a bore which extends entirely through each said lug, and wherein one said elongate member is mountable in each said aperture so as to journal said elongate member through said bore in snug sliding engagement therein.
 4. The boat of claim 3 wherein each said bore is oriented laterally along said upper edge of said corresponding transom when said at least one tenon is snugly mated in said at least one female dovetail groove, and wherein said elongate member when mounted through each said bore lies substantially flush along said upper edge of said corresponding transom when said dovetail block member is in a fully upwardly mated position is said dovetail grooves.
 5. The boat of claim 4 wherein said at least one female dovetail grooves in each said transom is a substantially parallel pair of female dovetail grooves and wherein corresponding said at least one tenon each has one of said lugs mounted thereon, and wherein corresponding said bores in said lugs are substantially parallel in each said dovetail block member.
 6. The boat of claim 5 wherein each said female dovetail groove widens from a narrow upper end of each said groove to a wider lower end of each said groove, and wherein each corresponding said tenon is correspondingly wedge shaped so as to have a narrower upper end and a wider lower end to snugly fit each said tenon in each corresponding said female dovetail groove, wherein when each said tenon is snugly wedged into each said corresponding female dovetail groove in said mating engagement by sliding each said tenon upwardly into each corresponding said female dovetail groove, each said tenon is firmly wedged into said fully upwardly mated position in its corresponding said female dovetail groove so as to position said bore in each said corresponding lug said adjacent said upper edge of said corresponding transom.
 7. The boat of claim 6 wherein said boat sections are substantially identically shaped so that one of said boat sections when overlaid on the other snugly fits said one of said boat sections onto said other boat section for storage and off-water transportation. 